The Lakers improved their record to 20-25 and avoided what would have been a soul-crushing loss when they held off a late New Orleans surge to beat the Hornets 111-106. It should never have been that close, and L.A. needed some generous officiating in the final moments to pull out the win in a game they led by 18 with six minutes remaining.

Kobe Bryant had 11 assists on the night, giving him 39 over the last three games. That's the most he's ever had over three games in his career, and it leads us to ask if one of the game's most consistent scorers is daring to evolve his game. Sure, the years were bound to emphasize other parts of Kobe's game eventually. We're not sure yet just how to deal with the newly generous Kobe 2.0.